By Jenna Dreisenstock
Back in June, we curated a list of absolutely mesmerising animated music videos that are must-sees for every music lover: focusing on breaking the disconnect between the beautiful, innovative art form that animation VS the misconceptions much of society hold regarding ‘cartoons’ as children’s mindless entertainment. Animation is taking the world by storm in all different areas of media – whether it be the beauty of animation in video games, films and television – or music videos! To follow up to my list from June, we thought it appropriate to share some more recent, fantastic animated music videos and continue to show adult audiences that animation is an incredible artistic tool that everyone can enjoy!
(The majority of these videos are from 2018, however I felt it necessary to include some brilliant videos from 2017 too. Animating, especially in 2D, takes ridiculous amounts of time and work, so releases of videos such as these – and those mentioned in my previous list – are further apart than live action music videos. The animation process is exceptionally complex – and all the animators involved in the creative process of these videos should be celebrated for their incredible work, especially with their work in accompanyiment with fantastic musicians.)
Here are 10 animated music videos that we’ve found particularly spellbinding:
Fakear – Chakra (2018)
Taken from Fakear’s 2018 album ‘All Glows‘ – the music video for his track ‘Chakra’ leaves us hypnotised in a luminous haze.
Credit: Created by Les Gentils Garçons. Directed by Les Gentils Garçons x Icecream. Produced by Les Gentils Garçons x Bonjour Lab. Additional Animation by Simon Simon.
Night Club – Show It 2 Me (2017)
Taken from Night Club’s 2016 album ‘Requiem For Romance‘ – this video was released in 2017, however I simply could not leave it off the list. The video for ‘Show It 2 Me’ was created as an interactive VR experience – watching it on youtube, there are directional arrows at the very top of the video that the viewer can click on to physically change perspective and manually explore the video as it takes place.
Credit: Directed by Dylan Carter and Mark Brooks. Art created in Google’s Tilt Brush by Titmouse Chris Prynoski and VP and creative director, Antonio Canobbio.
Melody’s Echo Chamber – Cross My Heart (2018)
Three beautiful animated music videos have accompanied the 2018 release of ‘Bon Voyage‘ by Melody’s Echo Chamber so far, each equally beautiful in their vivid colours, unique animation style – rich worlds and absorbing narratives. This is the most recent video released, however I implore readers to watch the other videos as well – Breathe In, Breath Out and Desert Horse.
Credit: Directed by Dr D Foothead. Characters: Daniela Go. Concepts and Backgrounds: T.Wei. Animation: Jackie Snyder, George Wheeler, Luke Toth & Annalea Hartelius.
Rone – Origami (2018)
Taken from Rone’s 2017 album ‘Mirapolis‘, this incredibly unique and beautifully stylistic video for the track ‘Origami‘ continues Rone’s string of stunning animated videos accompanying his unique presence. Be sure to check out his other official videos linked in the youtube caption!
Credit: Directed by Klub Simon (Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka, Dimitri Stankowicz, Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet & Thomas Pons) Animators: Laurent Box, Vic Chhun, Antoine David, Léa Krawczyk, Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka, Dimitri Stankowicz, Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet & Thomas Pons. Colour Grading: Vincent Amor. More credits in the caption!
Boston 168 – Oblivion And Vapor (2017)
Taken from Boston 168’s EP ‘Oblivion‘, an incredibly stylistic video reminiscent of the style of rotoscoping animation: the psychedelic melancholia of this innovative animation as a personification and companion to this track works exceptionally well and keeps the viewer engaged in a fast-paced narrative, yet steeped in a sense of dark melancholia.
Credit: Animated by David Vandervoort – Pinched.
Chelou – Damned Eye See (2017)
Another gem from 2017, the video for Chelou’s track ‘Damned Eye See‘ taken off their album of the same name – is a beautifully heartbreaking journey through a kaleidoscopic sadness, vivid and loving in its exploration of the stunning and intimate narrative.
Credit: Video by Jesse Collett.
Hermit and the Recluse – Sirens (2018)
Taken from the album ‘Orpheus Vs. The Sirens‘, the video for Hermit and the Recluse’s track ‘Sirens‘ is simply astounding. With the incredible use of various forms of media in the animation, the experimental nature of this artistic style stands out ever so boldly in it’s glimmering darkness and powerful narrative.
Credit: Directed by Alina Popescu.
Björk – The Gate (2017)
Speaking of multimedia, although this gem by Björk isn’t entirely animated it certainly fits the bill for outstanding uses of animation so surreal and immersive in sculpting an alien world. What is a list of eye-catching music videos without Björk? Taken from her 2017 album ‘Utopia‘, this video for ‘The Gate‘ engulfs the viewer in a surreal, extraterrestrial world.
As there are so many creditors to be named, I am just going to focus on direction and animation – however the rest of the credits are in the youtube caption, please check them out!
Credit: Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang. Visual Effects: Wolf & Crow. Executive Producer & Managing Director: Kevin Shapiro. VFX Lead: Adam Swaab. CG Lead: Matt Berenty. Compositing Lead: Matt Lavoy. Character Animation Lead: Mitch Gonzalez. 2D Animator: Kevin Stein. Colorist: Mark Wilenkin.
GUM – The Blue Marble (2018)
This absolutely ethereal stop-motion video for the track ‘The Blue Marble‘ by GUM off his 2018 album ‘The Underdog‘ interweaves with the track in a slightly disturbing, yet exceptionally captivating psychedelia; the sculpting of claymation is impossible to look away from.
Credit: Directed by Alex McLaren. Cinematograpy: Alex McLaren and Sean McAnulty. Editor: Alex McLaren.
Animal Collective – Tangerine Reef (2018)
The final addition to our list is the glimmering audiovisual album ‘Tangerine Reef‘ by Animal Collective. Although the visuals are not actually animated at all, the bold visuals as part of such a unique concept cannot be ignored – with time-lapsed visuals of a surreal, alien underwater world combined with Animal Collectives auditory journey, embedded above is the full official ‘film’ – which is absolutely fascinating.
Credit: Animal Collective & Coral Morphologic.
We hope you enjoyed our list – what are your favourite animated music videos?
